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Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA, said: "These pricing practices are simply not fair. They draw us in on a false promise. They make us less likely to shop around for the best deal. Our rulings send a clear signal to advertisers: sort out your pricing so we all get a fair deal”.

Mr Parker said the rulings make clear that advertised prices for theatre tickets must include all compulsory fees and charges in quoted ticket prices and be more up-front about booking fees. This, he said, would make it easier to shop around for better deals.

The Old Vic in London

He added that it was now the ASA's "priority" to make sure the rulings are followed by all ticket retailers so that all ticket prices are transparent, and consumers are not misled or treated unfairly.

Aside from the Old Vic, the agencies which faced rulings about their charges were AKA Group in Shaftesbury Avenue, ATG Tickets and charingcrosstheatre.co.uk

AKA advertised £10 tickets for a Chorus for Disapproval, which failed to declare additional £3 charges until the end of the payment process.

Charing Cross Theatre said it was not reasonable to require them to include the commission fee in ticket prices given online because the website was also a reference point for those booking in person at the box office, where no commission was payable.

Critics have long complained of the rise of extra charges on tickets, ranging from theatres to music concerts and sports events.

Which? heavily criticised the mark-ups and opaque pricing structures in 2008. Their comments followed an earlier report by the Office of Fair Trading which concluded that "consumers suffer from a lack of clear price information" when buying tickets.